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Hvidt & Molgaard’s Minerva Sofa

Hvidt & Mølgaard was a Copenhagen-based, Danish design and architectural firm which existed from 1944 until 2009. Founded by Peter Hvidt (1916-1986) and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen (1907-1993), the company was a pioneering force in Danish furniture design and industrialized production in the 1950s, creating furniture that was easy to mass-produce and economic to transport.

Danish architect-designer Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen was born in 1907. His formative years were spent in Copenhagen, studying at the Aalborg Technical School (graduating in 1924) and at the Art and Crafts School of the Design Museum (graduating in 1928). From 1931 until 1934, he continued his studies in furniture design at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts under the instruction of Danish master Kaare Klint (1888-1954).

Danish architect-designer Peter Hvidt was born in Copenhagen in 1916. He studied architecture and cabinetry at the School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen. Subsequently, he worked at various design firms before establishing his own studio in 1942. From 1942 to 1945, Hvidt taught at the School of Arts and Crafts. In 1944, Hvidt designed the Portex Chair, which was one of Denmark’s first stacking chairs. Hvidt, whose design aesthetic was characterized as traditional throughout the 1940s, exhibited frequently at the Cabinetmaker's Guild exhibitions, as both a designer and architect. He also worked with the lighting manufacturer Le Klint on numerous lighting designs.

In 1944, the pair co-established Hvidt & Mølgaard Studio, which they ran together until 1975. During this time, the pair created designs for Fritz Hansen, France & Søn, and Søborg Møbelfabrik. In 1950, the pair designed the AX Chair, which solidified both of their careers as industrial designers and became an icon of Danish mid-century design. AX was inspired by the work of American design duo Charles and Ray Eames, and was the first Danish chair that was crafted with both a seat and back made of curved laminated wood. The chair utilized a laminated technique for production which was carried out by Fritz Hansen. The chair’s design allowed for mass production and easy packaging, opening a successful market for Danish furniture to be exported around the world. The AX Chair was eventually accompanied by the AX Table, which was exhibited in 1951 as part of the "Good Design" show sponsored by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Like many designers of the mid-century period, they also incorporated leather in their designs, as well as teak and cane, and created modular units such as bookcases and living room sets. Other designs by the pair include the FD134 Chair, FD145 Chair, Gateleg Dining Table, Minerva Sofa, and the Model 523—or Pinwheel—side table (all 1950s for France & Søn).

Hvidt & Mølgaard focused on architectural projects, which spanned office buildings and factories, such as the De Danske Sukkerfabrikker building in Copenhagen (1958), as well as collective housing projects in Søllerød, Hillerød, and Birkerød (1962–1970). They were known for their light, simple, and clear designs, which were carried out with precision. In 1970, Hans Kristensen (b. 1933) joined the firm, helping the pair to design the Little Belt Bridge (1965-1970) and the Vejle Fjord Bridge (1975- 1980).

Both Hvidt and Mølgaard-Nielsen retired in 1975, designing over 256 pieces of furniture together over the course of their careers. Hvidt passed away in 1986 and Mølgaard-Nielsen in 1993. Hvidt received the Diplôme d'Honneur at Milan’s Triennale in 1951 and 1954. Mølgaard-Nielsen was jointly awarded an iF Product Design Award for the Safari lamp for Nordisk Solar Compagni (1981, Christian Hvidt, Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen). Their work can be found at New York’s MoMA, the National Gallery in Melbourne, and the Danish Museum of Art & Design in Copenhagen.

The company continued to thrive after the founders' retirement, and was run by Kristensen, Peter Holsøe (b. 1943), and Hvidt's son Henrik Hvidt (b. 1945). Later architectural works include, buildings for Nokia (1996) and DONG in Copenhagen’s South Docklands, and two masterplans for major harbor redevelopments in Estonia. In 2009, the company was split in two, forming Hvidt Arkitekter and Holsøe Arkitekter.

Hvidt & Molgaard’s Minerva Sofa

The Minerva Sofa is an beloved classic of Danish midcentury modernism. Thanks to its clean, essentialist aesthetic and top-notch workmanship, the Minerva continues to be one of the most in-demand sofas and daybeds from the golden age of Scandinavian design.

Originally conceived in the mid-1950s by Danish architect-designers Peter Hvidt and Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen, the Minerva was part of a complete seating suite—very in tune with modernist ideology—consisting of one two-seater and one three-seater couch alongside a specially designed corner table fitting seamlessly in between.

The most distinctive feature of the Minerva Sofa, apart from its wonderfully architectural teak frame and tapered feet, is the detachable, angled armrests with chrome detailing. This sparse, elegant design has been so influential that there are furniture producers today making contemporary knock-offs inspired by the planar form of the original midcentury Minerva.

The Minerva Sofa was produced in Denmark by successful manufacturer France & Søn (previously known as France & Daverkosen); a brand that built its international reputation on high quality, lightweight modernist furniture that could be dismantled for cost efficient shipping. Surprisingly, little detailed information about the firm’s production survived after the business closed in the 1970s; in the case of the Minerva, conflicting reports place the design year at anywhere between 1951 and 1957. One thing is clear, however; the Minerva was popular in its time and production continued into the 1960s—and its cult value has only increased since then.